Des Rocs - To Hell And Back (Sumerian Records) [Adz Redpath]
Des Rocs are the brainchild of New York musician Danny Rocco and are in essence a solo project, whilst bringing in sessions musicians for live the project is at its core a one man band.This has hints of all sorts stylistically bringing to mind early Rocket From The Crypt in particular as well as huge nods towards the likes of Muse ( Riders Of The Red Hook ) sounding like a paint by numbers of the aforementioned and also Jack Whit" to the point of echoing parts in a blatant manner but not in an overtly detrimental way.
Rocco wears his influences on his sleeve with tracks like Fall Together sounding so Zeppelin it's not even funny.
This is a well produced release and well balanced sonically with big hooky choruses and catchy riffage throughout, although it is hard to shake the copycat sound on show here most of the time I do feel it is done in a reasonably respectful manner.
This is a well produced release and well balanced sonically with big hooky choruses and catchy riffage throughout, although it is hard to shake the copycat sound on show here most of the time I do feel it is done in a reasonably respectful manner.
I can certainly see why Des Rocs have a following and are on an upward trajectory, for music nerds it may be a touch jarring for the aforementioned criticisms but is still worth a listen and if this translates live then I can see huge things ahead for them with a good energy and fun vibe throughout the whole release.
Whilst not massively original in all honesty and very clearly showing that this is a one man show, I do feel another head in the writing phase would definitely help give this a voice of its own that is more distinct and could open far more industry doors for them pushing the act towards a more headline status as opposed to a clear support act for many.
Whilst not massively original in all honesty and very clearly showing that this is a one man show, I do feel another head in the writing phase would definitely help give this a voice of its own that is more distinct and could open far more industry doors for them pushing the act towards a more headline status as opposed to a clear support act for many.
This said I would say if you like the influences listed above Des Rocs are certainly worth giving your time too. 7/10
Joel H Bulsara - Hastur The King (Self Released) [Rich Piva]
First off, the new record from Joel H Bulsara has the following on the Bandcamp page:
FFO: Alice in Chains, Down, Trouble & Kyuss
I mean yes, yes indeed, if you can pull this off while also…”Focusing on Robert W. Chamber's book of short stories "The King in Yellow". (Full disclosure: I am not smart enough to have read that).
On Hastur The King, Bulsara does everything in his power to pull it all off, starting with the heavy groove of the opener, Moon Witch Blessing, that just rips the place up, then slowing it down and layering vocals on the Rain When I Die leaning The Tarot. I love the guitar work on this one too.
Hastur The King has this epic feel to it, and The Tarot is the perfect example. Kyuss you say? The King Namesake certainly has that vibe, and I am certainly here for it. It Used Her Tongue slows it down again and brings a somehow filthier Alice In Chains vibes to the record, which is certainly saying something, but while also using some very cool changes and sounds to make this one of the best tracks on the record.
Joel H Bulsara - Hastur The King (Self Released) [Rich Piva]
First off, the new record from Joel H Bulsara has the following on the Bandcamp page:
FFO: Alice in Chains, Down, Trouble & Kyuss
I mean yes, yes indeed, if you can pull this off while also…”Focusing on Robert W. Chamber's book of short stories "The King in Yellow". (Full disclosure: I am not smart enough to have read that).
On Hastur The King, Bulsara does everything in his power to pull it all off, starting with the heavy groove of the opener, Moon Witch Blessing, that just rips the place up, then slowing it down and layering vocals on the Rain When I Die leaning The Tarot. I love the guitar work on this one too.
Hastur The King has this epic feel to it, and The Tarot is the perfect example. Kyuss you say? The King Namesake certainly has that vibe, and I am certainly here for it. It Used Her Tongue slows it down again and brings a somehow filthier Alice In Chains vibes to the record, which is certainly saying something, but while also using some very cool changes and sounds to make this one of the best tracks on the record.
A dissonant interlude leads to a killer riff and the heavy and grungy Playscript that could be a Dirt B-side that also includes some guttural growls from the bowels of Hell. Very cool. The Yellow Signed Piper has this Down meet Seattle thing going on which pretty much rules. Chartreuse is atmospheric grunge at its best, and one of my favourites on the record as well. It floats, but in an unclean way, not an angelic one.
Up to this point, all of the tracks on the record have had this epic feel, but somehow never going longer than five minutes. Mandelbrot Madness (The Musical) changes this going almost eight and is some next level stuff that could be an entity in its own right. Closing on Interlude II Act II is an interesting choice, but leaves the listener wanting and thinking there will be more.
So yeah, FFO: Alice in Chains, Down, Trouble & Kyuss, I get it. Maybe not the Trouble, but the other ones for sure. Hastur The King is its own thing though, and Joel H Bulsara has created something killer with this record, no matter what bands or books are used as reference points. Check it out. 8/10
Esca - Thalassophobia (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
A few years ago (it all blends into one after 15 years!) we reviewed a band called Void Titan from Bristol, we also reviewed a band called Diviion from Bristol, they were both were heavyweight mobs, that seemed to appear quickly and then disappear just as fast, or maybe that was just me, and a global pandemic.
However with the Bristol scene being the fertile ground that it is, it wasn't long before members of that band joined others and in 2023 Esca was born to continue the extreme metal beginnings of Void Titan while adding the progressive style of Diviion, got it? Good!
Thalassophobia (fear of the sea) is their debut album and it's a big, ominous record where tales of terrors from the deep unfold through music that is inspired by the likes of Opeth, Cynic and Edge Of Sanity. It seems some players have switched instruments from their other bands but they're all virtuoso players and this is obvious from the opening moments of this record.
Rob Cooper's drumming is expressive and potent, locked into a bottom end with Lawra Moore that's so deep and drowning, it could be renamed the Mariana's Trench, the rhythms undulate and froth like the ocean, the weirder the time signature the better, as Esca don't go for the easy route, preferring complexity with their extremity.
Both Cooper and Moore are formerly of Void Titan while Moore is also member of Diviion (told you there was links), as are guitarists Matt Perrington and Phil Wadey (also ex-Void Titan), who weave between crushing, sometimes grooving riffs (Basilisk), angular melodies (singularity), atmospheric acoustic passages (Ascent Of The Oarfish) and keening solos.
On their Bandcamp there's a quote that says "very Opeth without being derivative" and I'm wondering whether to give him a job as that's an ideal summation of what Esca do, now vocally they spend more time in the harsh realms so we're talking about early Opeth but there's multitude of voices, splitting guttural growls, harsh shouts and clean singing on the extremely Opeth influenced title track.
Dedicated to Julie Cooper their biggest supporter, Thalassophobia manages to impress as much as Mr Akerfeldt and co but does so without stealing too many ideas. A testament to the depth of the Bristol metal scene, Esca are a new complex and powerful entry into that long history of the Bristol metal scene. 8/10
Belushi Speed Ball - Toxic Waste Was Everywhere In The 80’s (Self Release) [Mark Young]
Ok, on the catch up train this week with a couple of releases that fell through the cracks. I’ve had a pretty good run with straggling content recently so obviously on a trip down to London things come to a shuddering halt courtesy of Belushi Speed Ball, and their latest full length effort Toxic Waste Was Everywhere In The 80’s.
So yeah, FFO: Alice in Chains, Down, Trouble & Kyuss, I get it. Maybe not the Trouble, but the other ones for sure. Hastur The King is its own thing though, and Joel H Bulsara has created something killer with this record, no matter what bands or books are used as reference points. Check it out. 8/10
Esca - Thalassophobia (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
A few years ago (it all blends into one after 15 years!) we reviewed a band called Void Titan from Bristol, we also reviewed a band called Diviion from Bristol, they were both were heavyweight mobs, that seemed to appear quickly and then disappear just as fast, or maybe that was just me, and a global pandemic.
However with the Bristol scene being the fertile ground that it is, it wasn't long before members of that band joined others and in 2023 Esca was born to continue the extreme metal beginnings of Void Titan while adding the progressive style of Diviion, got it? Good!
Thalassophobia (fear of the sea) is their debut album and it's a big, ominous record where tales of terrors from the deep unfold through music that is inspired by the likes of Opeth, Cynic and Edge Of Sanity. It seems some players have switched instruments from their other bands but they're all virtuoso players and this is obvious from the opening moments of this record.
Rob Cooper's drumming is expressive and potent, locked into a bottom end with Lawra Moore that's so deep and drowning, it could be renamed the Mariana's Trench, the rhythms undulate and froth like the ocean, the weirder the time signature the better, as Esca don't go for the easy route, preferring complexity with their extremity.
Both Cooper and Moore are formerly of Void Titan while Moore is also member of Diviion (told you there was links), as are guitarists Matt Perrington and Phil Wadey (also ex-Void Titan), who weave between crushing, sometimes grooving riffs (Basilisk), angular melodies (singularity), atmospheric acoustic passages (Ascent Of The Oarfish) and keening solos.
On their Bandcamp there's a quote that says "very Opeth without being derivative" and I'm wondering whether to give him a job as that's an ideal summation of what Esca do, now vocally they spend more time in the harsh realms so we're talking about early Opeth but there's multitude of voices, splitting guttural growls, harsh shouts and clean singing on the extremely Opeth influenced title track.
Dedicated to Julie Cooper their biggest supporter, Thalassophobia manages to impress as much as Mr Akerfeldt and co but does so without stealing too many ideas. A testament to the depth of the Bristol metal scene, Esca are a new complex and powerful entry into that long history of the Bristol metal scene. 8/10
Belushi Speed Ball - Toxic Waste Was Everywhere In The 80’s (Self Release) [Mark Young]
Ok, on the catch up train this week with a couple of releases that fell through the cracks. I’ve had a pretty good run with straggling content recently so obviously on a trip down to London things come to a shuddering halt courtesy of Belushi Speed Ball, and their latest full length effort Toxic Waste Was Everywhere In The 80’s.
Taking their name from the Saturday Night Live/Blues Brother/Force of Nature and the manner of his demise is admittedly pretty cool, and maybe its something that he would have got behind. It’s a shame that the music that follows is a bit, well, crap. I’m not going to spend a long time on this, because if I do I feel that will say a lot of unkind things that achieve nothing. Having, or trying to have a funny edge to your music must be super difficult whilst playing one of the most accessible forms of heavy metal because you have no barometer of how well your jokes will hit.
Throw in that some of it might not translate to another market and you are reliant on the strength of the music behind it. In all honesty, It feels like this is aimed at those who have already seen/heard them live and get the joke. From the songs here, I didn’t take anything funny from it, all it did was confirm that it was a waste of my time.
However, because I always try to find something that is positive in anything, it is thrash metal with a gnarly sound and rapido tempos. It moves along quickly and as a collection it feels that these would sound better live. That is probably the point; get on stage and play to a room full of drunk metalheads. Its just not for me, although I’m sure that someone loves them somewhere. 5/10
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